Al Wasl vs Al Ahli Predictions
Al Wasl host Al Ahli at Zabeel Stadium as AFC Champions League Elite action resumes on Monday.
Both sides come into the contest after impressive domestic victories, and recent results point toward another entertaining encounter in Dubai.
Over 2.5 goals is my best bet, while I also expect BTTS to prove profitable in the UAE.
Goals Expeceted in AFC Elite Clash
- Al Wasl have seen over 2.5 goals in 16 of their last 17 matches (all competitions)
- Al Wasl scored 17 goals in their last 6 matches (all competitions)
- Al Wasl have seen BTTS in 5 of their last 6 matches (all competitions)
- Al Ahli have seen over 2.5 goals in 7 of their last 8 matches (all competitions)
- Al Ahli scored 16 goals in their last 6 matches (all competitions)
Al Ahli Hold the H2H Advantage
Al Wasl and Al Ahli will meet for the fourth time on Monday. Al Ahli won two and drew one of three previous encounters.
Al Ahli secured a 2-0 win at this venue in their only recent matchup two years ago.
Al Wasl Extend Winning Run
Al Wasl return to continental action after a dramatic 2-1 win at Khorfakkan in the ADIB Cup on Thursday.
Mehdi Taremi cancelled out Haliru Sarki's opener with a 77th-minute equaliser before Soufiane Bouftini struck in stoppage time to complete an excellent comeback win.
Final match stats reflected Al Wasl's dominance. The visitors had 72% possession, registered 21 shots to Khorfakkan's four and created six big chances as they secured a deserved victory.
Last week’s cup success made it three wins in a row for Rui Vitoria's side. Al Wasl scored nine goals in their three recent victories, while they have averaged 3.1 goals per game across their last ten fixtures.
The UAE contenders kicked off their AFC Elite campaign with a 2-1 defeat at Al Qadsiah last month.
Al Wasl are set for their first home fixture in the competition since the 2024/25 campaign, when they reached the round of 16.
Al Ahli Secure Emphatic Away Win
Al Ahli make the trip to Dubai in high spirits after a convincing 4-0 victory at Al Fateh on Friday.
Francisco Trincao scored either side of half-time before Ivan Toney and Ziyad Al Johani completed a one-sided success for the Saudi giants.
Marino Pusic's side dominated the contest, registering 17 shots to Al Fateh's five. They also finished with an xG of 2.54, compared with just 0.45 for the hosts.
Before that impressive win, Al Ahli had failed to win three of their previous four fixtures, including a surprise 2-1 defeat against Mamelodi Sundowns in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup.
Al Ahli were held to a 1-1 draw by Pakhtakor in their AFC Champions League Elite opener last month. That was the only one of their last eight fixtures to finish with fewer than three goals scored.
A lack of clean sheets remains an issue for the SPL outfit. The Royals conceded in six of their last eight fixtures. An average of 1.62 goals per game were conceded in those matches.
Al Wasl vs Al Ahli Team News
Al Wasl: (4-2-3-1) Dinko Horkas; Pedro Malheiro, Adryelson, Soufiane Bouftini, Hugo Neto; Siaka Sidibe, Cameron Puertas; Brahian Palacios, Nicolas Gimenez, Serginho; Mehdi Taremi.
Head coach Vitoria is likely to retain confidence in most of the same XI that began last week’s ADIB Cup contest.
Iranian forward Mehdi Taremi should keep his place in the side after scoring against Khorfakkan.
Cameron Puertas, Siaka Sidibe and Serginho are among those in contention to earn first-team recalls.
Al Ahli: (4-2-3-1) Abdulrahman Al Sanbi; Saeed Baattia, Merih Demiral, Mohammed Sulaiman, Saad Balobaid; Valentin Atangana, Ziyad Al Johani; Francisco Trincao, Eduard Spertsyan, Wenderson Galeno; Ivan Toney.
Al Ahli boss Pusic has a couple of injury concerns this week. Edouard Mendy will miss Monday's fixture through injury, with Abdulrahman Al Sanbi expected to continue in goal.
Roger Ibanez has been included in the travelling squad but remains doubtful to feature.
Eduard Spertsyan is pushing for a recall after replacing Matheus Goncalves at half-time against Al Fateh.